Fab Friday: May 8

Today's Fab Friday is simple. I elect to talk about tulips.

Yesterday I was able to journey down to Pella for the annual Tulip Fest. I was fortunate to be in the company of good friends and their sweet children. We ate fabulous food (Bologna on a stick, pork chop sandwiches, Dutch letters & ribbons, and a new favorite: poffertjes), watched the dancers, witnessed the crowning of the Tulip Queen, talked, laughed, and of course saw gorgeous tulips.

I never thought much about tulips. I always considered myself to have a "black thumb" when it came to gardening. But when we bought our house in Oregon, I took the plunge & bought some bulbs. I haphazardly buried them in front of our porch & hoped for the best. I was astonished when, come March, they reared their rounded heads from the soggy ground. Stretching towards the weak rays of Oregon sun, those tulips brightened my dreary front yard and brought a smile to my face every time I saw them. I will always picture that house with tulips in the front yard.

Variegated or monochromatic with rounded, jagged, or feathered edges, tulips will always mean spring to me. Tulips have long, willowy stems that are best displayed in tall, narrow-mouthed vases. I personally like to create a display of single stems in tall bud vases. Add a penny to the vase & your tulips will last longer.

Mother's Day is Sunday - go out and celebrate with a bunch of your very own tulips for yourself or your Mom (or better yet, drop the hint to your husband). Nothing brightens a day more than an unexpected gift of flowers. Frivolous and short-lived? Yes. But sometimes, those are the best presents.